Act your age

I have a granddaughter nearing her 2 year birthday. She is at the stage of testing boundaries and she doesn't always like the answers.
The other day she wanted her Dada's car keys. Knowing the possibilities of handing over the keys to a 2 yr.old, he said no. That angelic, sweet little one fell to the floor screaming and kicking. Her dad walked away saying "Go ahead and fuss".
She wailed for a few seconds, realized that she wouldn't get the keys and wandered off to find a "legal" toy. Keys forgotten.
Dada could have gone into an explanation of why the keys are off limits. She would not have heard him above her wailing, she wasn't up for reasoning. Her ability to look at a bigger picture hasn't developed.

I thought about how even as adults we test the boundaries, laws and rules in life. We have the ability to see the big picture if we take the time to observe. Life's lessons are there to be learned.

Ever get a speeding ticket justly deserved and try to get out of it? Slow down!
Remember angrily cleaning up the spilled milk (after all, you are late for work already) that was your doing? Slow down!
The dentist can tell if you haven't been flossing, you know.
Ever protest the income tax payment for the privilege of living in this country.
Eating a cheaper pesticide laden strawberry will overwork your liver.
Ever choose to not recycle, it goes to landfill, creates gases, ruins the ozone...

We throw our tantrums, we challenge each others boundaries, natural laws and man's laws. We fuss and are surprised at the results of crossing the line; we look for somewhere else to lay the blame. Time to grow up and, at the very least, throw our tantrums where no one else can witness them. The 2 year old had the wisdom to move on. Do you?